washtenaw county historical society newsletter· …

OFFICERS PRESIDENT Pauline V. Walters

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Susan Cee Wineberg

VICE PRESIDENT Virginia Hills

TREASURER Patricia W. Creal

RECORDING SECRETARY Judith Chrisman

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

DIREOORS Rosemarion Blake Nancy Bryk Ann DeFreytas Julie Creal Goodridge Peggy Haines Pamela Newhouse Karen K. O'Neal Peter Rocco Karen Simpson Jay Snyder Patricia E. Thompson Esther Warzynski

DIREOORS·AT·LARGE Ralph P. Beebe Tom Freeman Scott Jacob

INFORMATION Published Seven Times A Year From September.May. Susan Cee Wineberg, Editor [email protected]

Museum On Main Street 500 N. Main Street at Beakes Street Post OffIce Box 3336 Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106·3336

Phone: 734.662.9092 Fax 734.663.0039 Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.hvcn.org/lnfo/gswc/ society/socwashtenaw.htm

WASHTENAW COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER· APRIL 2001

New Exhibit Is Fantastic! Scott Jacob has mounted a truly wonderful exhibit with the

help of Judy Chrisman our Collections Chair. Entitled ''Ladies at Home," this exhibit illustrates the activities of women when their lives centered around the home. It includes dressmaking, gardening, cooking, and club activities. This exhibit will run until Friday, June 15th

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Our second exhibit will begin Monday, June 18th and will be up until Friday, October 19th• The theme will be "Delivery Days" and will be about things we used to get delivered to our houses-ice, milk, eggs, butter, laundIy, etc. Our third exhibit will be on "Commercial Christmas" and will be up from Saturday, November 3n1 until Christmas.

All exhibits will be open to the public on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon-4 and by appointment. Call (734) 662-9092. We are in need of docents, so please contact ..... us if you'd like to be a guide for an afternoon.

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Left. Doris Anna Bach in her grandmother's silk poplin dress of 1840. Photo ca. 1940.

Top right. Anna Botsford Bach's 1840 dress and tea table arrangement Photos by Susan Wineberg

Right. Needlework done by women in "Ladies at Home" exhibit.

Bottom left. Don't we all dream of finding an old trunk full of goodies?

Museum Now Open! The Museum now has regular hours. Come and

visit us on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from noon-4 • .

April Program Dr. Patricia Whitesell will speak on the History of

the Detroit Observatory on Sunday, Aprill 22nd at the Observatory. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED! Call (734) 763-2230.

WASHTENAW COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY IMPRESSIONS APRIL 2001

Washtenaw County Has A New Facility

Photo: Susan Wineberg

Peggy Haines, Clerk/Register of Deeds, speaking about elections.

About 60 people attended an Open House at 200 N. Main and talk by Peggy Haines, Washtenaw County Clerk! Register of Deeds. She was assisted by Melanie Weidmayer, Director of Elections, and Tom Freeman, Director of Facilities Management. Despite being on crutches from a broken leg and having to deal with an ailing mother, Peggy attended in her usual red, white and blue outfit and with a smile for everyone. She is a real trooper! Following the lecture, we had a tour of the new facility. For more information in detail on the county's activities, please check their website at www.co.washtenaw.mi.us.This is a goldmine of information!

Peggy began by telling us that this was her 4111 year with Washtenaw County. She began in 1960 with the Register of Deeds, always the love of her life. She is excited to share the new records facilities with

us, especially since many of us use them for genealogical purposes. Before the talk on elections, we heard from Tom . Freeman, the Director of Facilities Management, who talked about the building we are in to day.

Tom welcomed us and noted that the building was dedicated in February 200 1. It was quite a job moving all the records from the clerks and deeds office but they are now in a lovely spot and more usable than ever. His job is not only to manage the properties of the county, but to develop new facilities as well.

The property was acquired by the county in 1988 [it had been the site of the Salvation Army Red Shield Store, originally built as a Kroger. In the 19th

century a wonderful Post Office Building stood on this site!] The new building, known as 200 N. Main (after much discussion), was intended to reunite three departments which had been split up for almost ten years: the clerklvital records office, the Register of Deeds and the County Treasurer's Office. These offices have common purposes and common customers.

On the first two floors and basement are the Treasurer, County Clerk and Register ofDeeds and they are completely open to the public. The Prosecuting Attorney's staff occupy the third and fourth floors. Though open to the public, they are more inaccessible for security reasons. One must take the elevator to these and enter a lobby from wpich you must be buzzed into the space. Tilis protects witnesses, victims and others involved with the prosecutor's office.

Peggy introduced Melanie Weidmayer, the Director of Elections for Washtenaw County since 1998. Melanie noted that the county oversees all elections in the county. "We have had very few problems with voting especially since tIlis year, with new software, the county was able to generate ballots in-house. Many errors were avoided by not having to send them out to a printer. Washtenaw County has 243,000 voters and 62% voted in the last presidential election. Unlike Florida,

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we had no dimpled chads or other problems with voting. Things went very smootIlly and Michigan has very good laws on voting procedures and reCounts. Our new software allows us to send our information to the printer over a high speed Internet connection. We are really wired!

This system also allows for better counting, especially with the Optical Scan system in use in the county except in Ypsilanti Twp. which still uses punch cards. There are two types of optical scan systems in use in tile county. One involves filling in an oval while the other uses a line connecting an office with a nanle. The City of Ann Arbor and the City of Ypsilanti use tile latter. The townships use the other system. All the returns were uploaded after the election, which was a real time saver! The new system also allowed Ann Arbor City to e-mail its returns to us. That was pretty exciting!


Tom Freeman discusses the new county building at 200 N. Main .


The cost of the optical scan system is about $5,000 per precinct. Punch cards are cheaper but more problematic and require more paper. Optical scanners have a much higher accuracy level as well. We have not substantially reduced the cost of the ballots, but we have reduced the amount of time required to process them and this does save money."

finance statement. "We are the filing official for the entire county for this and you must indicate whether you expect to receive or spend over $1,000 in your campaign. If so, you are responsible for reporting this."

The county also makes sure ''''~.---''''' you are registered to vote. This

has been made much easier by the new "Motor Voter" laws enacted by Michigan that has a Qualified Voter File. This was implemented in late 1998 and was accompanied by computers

- ,_ ... - given to each township and

Peggy and Melanie created an elections manual using the state's flip chart with their permIssIon. This is Washtenaw's Election "Bible" and is used by elections inspectors throughout the


Our newest county building at 200 N. Main, now home of clerk, vital county by the state with a records and register of deeds. population of 5,000 or more.

county. Michigan is a Home Rule state, which means townships decide which type of voting to use. However, with the problems in Florida after the last election for President, a Blue Ribbon Committee appointed by. Gov. Engler is studying the idea of having everyone in the state using the same system Another committee on Redistricting is proposing funding for a statewide voting system

The floor was opened for questions and many asked about what different methods of voting are best. Melanie prefers the optical scan, especially since the touchscreen system costs $5,000 each and you have no paper trail. The optical scan also would pick up an erasure as an over-vote and this would allow an inspector to check it and make sure your intentions were reflected on the ballot. There is battery backup for these as well.

Melanie also assured everyone that Absentee Ballots are counted! These votes are sealed and are not opened until Election Day and they are sent to the precinct you vote in. The votes are verified and then they are counted. With optical scan, they are done during the day.

ballots." Peggy spoke again about what the

responsibility of the county is, and what the Elections Division does. Anyone running for office must:file an application through the county. The County Clerk is the :filing official. Generally one :files for candidacy within 2-3 months of an election. You must :file an affidavit of identity, where you're registered to vote, and office you are :filing for. The type of office determines whether a petition is necessary to get on the ballot. They changed the legislation last year, so the population of your district determines the number of names. After the filing deadline you have three days to change your mind! You also must file a campaign

This means eight townships in Washtenaw County did not get this system, and we keep their registrations current for them. All lists used on Election Day must be generated by the State Qualified Voter File. "We get about 15,000 voter registration cards a year and we have to go through them and determine which city and township those voters belong in and then report to the eight townships as well as compute totals for the county. The Qualified Voter File also prevents dead people from voting!"

In response to a question on how long your name stays on the rolls if you don't vote, the answer was 'forever.' A decade ago you were put on an 'inactive' :file if you didn't vote in two elections, but this is no longer the case. There was also

"Make sure that the oval and arrow connection is not on a fold, since the machine reads this as a vote. Sometimes machines don't like absentee


Sunlight fi lls the new workspace for researching properties .

further discussion about the Motor Voter Law (April 2000) and how, say, a student registered in his hometown doesn't get to vote twice. Melanie answered that this law prevents voting twice by requiring that your place of voting match the place on your drivers license. If it doesn't, it defaults to where you register to vote. Your drivers license is also how you are picked for jury duty and is no longer based on voter registration. Also note: whenever you move, you must change your voter registration since you will be

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COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY IMPRESSIONS

cancelled from your old one! This is also the case with changing your drivers license. Today, you will be asked when you get a drivers license, or renew, if you want to register to vote. They are required to do this at the Secretary of State's office. Also, regarding jury duty, you may be excused from jury duty when you reach the age of 70.

Peggy pointed out before the tour of the building that five separate units operate under the umbrella of the county clerk's! register office. One of them is Elections, which Melanie so wonderfully discussed. A second is the Register of Deeds, which is on the first floor (though its records are on the lower or 'garden level') . The Register of Deeds is open daily from 8: 30-5 and does not require an appointment

The third is the Vital Records Division that maintains records of births, deaths and marriages, notary records, business names etc. There are special areas for use by genealogists must be by appointment. The number is (734) 222-6730. About 200 people a day use this office!

The fourth division is the Board of Commissioners for which we take minutes of Board Meetings and file all contracts for Washtenaw County. This is done through the Administrative Division of the office, which also issues gun permits. . .

The fifth division is Clerk to the Crrcwt Court. This division of the office remains at the county courthouse. As Clerk, we are respoOSlble forfiling all the documents that are involved in court cases in any courtroom where juries are involved. Today the courthouse is the home only of the courts, including juvenile court and probate court The only entrance now will be the main entrance, as the Fourth Avenue entrance was deemed unsafe and is now closed. The Public Defender 's Office will be moving to 110 N. Fourth, as more units move out of that facility to the new building on Zeeb Rd. in June.

Today we will only take a tour of this facility and Tom Freeman will lead us through the garden, first and second levels which contain the Vital Records and Register of Deeds offices.

Saline Celebrates Orange Risdon Saline has been

celebrating the life of its founder, Orange Risdon, with a twopart lecture series and a Founders Week Dinner at Weller's to be held on April 251h

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Tickets for this dinner are $20 each and can be obtained by calling (734) 429-9621. Saline ' s former mayor and now councilman, Rick Kuss, lectured Photo by Robert Harriosn.

on the life of Risdon, Rick Kuss speaking at the Saline Depot on Orange Risdon beginning in . . Vermont and extending to Califorrua, as Risdon's descendants became 4gers. A hook-up with the historical society of Rupert, Vermont arranged by SAHS President Wayne Clements, gave us insight into the geograp~ical. and economic conditions from which Risdon came.

The American Revolution had ended in 1783 and by 1785 many people were migrating to Vermont. Rupert was a boomtown and most of the settlers were from Massachusetts . It was an . independent republic for 14 years and became a state in 1791. It was known as the 'reluctant republic. ' Risdon was born in Rupert, VT. in 1786.

Orange Risdon's family left, however, and settled in Saratoga County, New York, just over the border. Orange's name is apparently derived from Orange County (there are Orange Counties in New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and California that we know of), and ultimately derives from the House of Orange in England. They later moved to Ballston Spa, NY and then on to LeRoy, NY (later the horne of Jello). Risdon became a surveyor and helped survey Buffalo, NY 10 1816, he married Sally Newland and had six children. 10 1823 Risdon went to Michigan as a surve;,or. RickKuss read from two.lett~rs exchanged between Risdon and his wife (and now at the Bentley Library) dated August of 1825, before his permanent settlement in Washtenaw County.

Risdon's surveying skills were very useful in Michigan. He surveyed the Sauk Trail from Detroit to Chicago, now US-

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12 in the 1820s as well as other areas in Michigan including Saginaw. The Clements Library of the University of Michigan recently purchased his 1825 map of SE Michigan. This was the subject of an article by Grace Shackrnan in the December 2000 issue of the Ann Arbor Observer.

He eventually settled and platted Saline in 1832, giving the town the Frenc.h name originally given to the river. His original plat is on display n?w at the Saline Depot Museum, wIth other artifacts on loan from the Washtenaw County Historical Society, including his saddlebags, and a high chair. Risdon was on tlle first Executive Committee of tlle Pioneer Society of Washtenaw County, organized in 1873. He also participated in the cornerstone laying ceremony for the new capitol in Lansing.

Risdon's sons John and Orange Jr. , along with daughter Harriet's son Lewis Risdon Mead, went by covered wagon to California in 1849-50. As blacksmiths, they made tools for miners and eventually went into heavy equipment and formed a shipyard (Risdon Iron Works). Orange Jr. died young but John was so successful he developed a resort known as Byron Hot Springs. In tlle 1870s and 80s, this was THE place for 'taking the baths ' in California. Facing hard times in the Depression, the resort became government property and was used an interrogation center for German and Japanese prisoners. After the war it wa.s a religious mission, then closed. Today It


is a ruin, but may still have a future if renovated.

The Saline Area Historical Society has a wonderful exlnbit about Risdon at its Depot Museum. On Saturday, April 28 th from 11-4, they will celebrate Founders Day with a reenactment of historical methods of land surveying by the Michigan Museum of Surveying and Atwell-Hicks. They will also serve free hobo stew by the railroad tracks and have a bust of Risdon, maps, photos and memorabilia on display. In 1954 the Washtenaw Historical Society dedicated a plaque to Risdon at the Oakwood Cemetery. The plaque mysteriously disappeared long ago, and plans are afoot to replace it in the cemetery, along with a marker about Risdon along US-12.

Saline will also be re-opening the Rentschler Farm Museum on Saturday May 19th from 1-5. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the theme is "Spring Babies" and will focus on baby animals. The celebration will include free rides through town oil the American Legion 40 & 8 Boxcar, children's games, draft horses, a bake and craft sale, marionette exhibit, and oral histories at the Saline Library (which hosts a website with 600 photos of historic Saline). There will also be 15 farm exhibits and docents will provide information about each room of the 1920sl30s farmhouse, especially those restored this past winter.

The farm is located at 1265 E. Michigan Avenue, just east of the Visteon Plant. Parking and admission are free. The farm complex consists of a Queen Anne style farmhouse built in 1906 and at least ten outbuildings. The farm will be open each Saturday except holidays from 11-3. For more information contact Agnes Dikeman at (734) 769-2219.

Congratulations are also in order! The SARS was lauded for organizing the Curtiss Mansion Garden Party in the summer of2000 by the Historical Society of Michigan, a statewide organization. This fundraiser involved over 500 people in an oral history tour of the 1875 mansion, a period meal, a booklet, and other history related activities. The $22,000 raised went to the Arbor Hospice, which had cared for Mary Curtiss Richards during her last illness. Well doneSAHS!

Around The State The Sons of the Union Veterans of the

Civil War are inviting all interested parties to attend the re-burial of Civil War veteran Daniel W. Pine, on Saturday, May 12th, at 1: 30 PM in the Hillcrest Memorial Park (1425 Elm Road), Jackson, Michigan. The GAR ritual for the Burial of the Dead will be used. This memorial will be at Mr. Pine's new gravesite in the Field of Honor. Call Bill Lowe at (517) 750-913 8 or visit their website at www.austinblair.com.

A free visual genealogy exchange has been set up known as Ancient Faces. It has become the largest visual genealogy presence on the Internet by providing a free location for the exchange of photos. Over 3,000 have been scanned by their owners so that others researching their family trees can place faces with names! It is located at www.ancientfaces.com and is a free service. For more information contact Daniel J. Pinna, President at DJPinna@ancient faces. corn. Ancient Faces is located in Santa Clara, CA.

The 43rd Annual Conference on Local IDstory will be held in Detroit at Wayne State University on April 20 and 21. Lunch speakers will be Sandra S. Clark, Director of the Michigan Historical Center and Norman McRae of the Detroit Historical Commission. Clark will discuss the contributions of local historical societies to the field of local history. The Michigan Oral History Association will sponsor a Saturday morning breakfast and a session on oral history. Jim Cameron, Glenn Ruggles, and Virginia Bailey Parker will be speaking. There will also be an oral history workshop in Novi on Saturday May 19th in sponsorship with the Novi Historical Society and Historical Commission ($35-reservations required). Registration for the two~ay conference in Detroit is $10 and students are admitted free. The breakfast costs $10 and each luncheon is $12. For information contact Kathleen Mutch, (248) 349-6774 or Alberta Asrnar (313) 577-4003.

The Detroit Historical Society announced that its 2001 Designer

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Show house will be at the historic Vaughan-Vernor estate in Bloomfield Hills on Saturday May 5th to Sunday June 3rd. It is open from 10:30-5 PM and admission is $17.00. Call (313) 833-7935. The Vaughan house was built in 1839 and is a Federal-style farmhouse located on four acres. It was the horne of the Vernor Ginger Ale family from 1926-1941. Believe it or not, the historic church tours in May and June are already sold out! However, on Sunday June 10,join the society in a Sunday Stroll through Elmwood Cemetery at the cost of $10. And on Saturday and Sunday June 16~ 17, tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Aftleck House in Bloomfield Hills for $25. The big date this year, however, is July 22, when the Festival at the Fort at IDstoric Fort Wayne opens to celebrate Detroit's 300 lh birthday. There will be a parade of historic ships on the Detroit River, civil war re-enactors, tours of the Commanding Officer's quarters and the Star Fort, as well as of the Thskegee Airmen Museum. This free event will have food on-site and parking will be $5.00Ivehicle. For more on Detroit visit their website at www.detroithistoricaLorg.

The Historical Society of Michigan Newsletter reports that Margaret Dunning contributed $1rnillion to the Plymouth IDstorical Museum for a twostory 9,800 squarefoot addition. This will provide space for the Weldon Petz Abraham Lincoln Collection and much needed storage. Dunning's mother was a founding member of the Museum.

Knapps Points Update

Esther Warzynski reports we have collected about 3700 Knapps Points. Thank you one and all. Please keep sending them to her at 1520 Martha Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. We will be using them to purchase more shelving for storing our collections .


Around'The County The latest newsletter from the

Washtenaw-Potawatomi Land Trust was full of exciting news. WPLT has acquired its third and largest nature preseIVe, a 57.5-acre property in Sharon Township to be known as the Sharon Hills Preserve. The property borders Sharon Hollow Road and is on the western edge of the rolling Sharon Short Hills. The donors require that the land be "used and perpetually maintained for a nature preseIVe, limited to passive, quiet, nonvehicular uses." WPLT also completed its first easement in Bridgewater Township and another riverfront easement in Scio Township. They also reported receiving several large donations, including an unsolicited check for $50,000, which was followed by another unsolicited check for $32,000! Part of their ability to reach potential donors was the success of Proposal B last November. Executive Director Barry Lonik has also met with 20 fann families and helped submit 31 applications to the State for its fannland preseIVation program. Though the state can only help 25-30 fanns throughout the state, it is hoped that 3-4 Washtenaw County furrns will be selected. For more information call (734) 426-3669 or e-mail [email protected].

Preservation Eastern at Eastern Michigan University will be sponsoring a talk by State Archaeologist John Halsey. He will speak on "Fayette from an Archaeological Viewpoint" on Monday April 161h at 4:15 PM in the McKenny Union.

On Saturday April 21, Milan will be the site of the Fourth Annual Antique Tractor Show. It is held at Mullin's Auto Supply, 630 County St. from 8-4pm and is free. Call (734) 439-7270.

On Saturday April 281h, The Ypsilanti

Civil War Muster and Soldier School will be held at Riverside Park. This is a free event. Call (734) 483-4444. Also in Ypsilanti, The Fire Station Museum will hold open houses on Sundays May 6 and 131h from.2-5 PM Antique equipment is housed in the 1898 building at 110 W. Cross St. For more info call (734) 547-0663. The Yankee Air Museum in Ypsilanti will be holding a pancake

breakfast on May 281h from 9-noon before exploring the War Birds of World War n. Check out a B-17, C-47 and several other planes. A memorial service will be held at 1 PM There is a charge for the breakfast. Call (734) 483-4030.

Our friends in Dexter are busy trying to raise money to buy (;{}rdon Hall and its 70 acres from the University of Michigan. The University will be accepting sealed bids in June and have the property sold by the fall . The Dexter Area Historical Society is accepting donations! Contact them at (734) 426-4714 or (734) 426- 2519. Send donations to 3443 Inverness St, Dexter Ml48130. The Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its ice cream social on Saturday May 19th at Monument Park in downtown Dexter. This free event lasts from 11-5. Call (734) 426-0887.

On Sunday April 22 nd , the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County will have Sharon Brevoort discussing "Pre-Revolutionary Research in New York and New Amsterdam. " Marcia McCrary will do the class on "Gone by Not Forgotten: A look at different kinds of death records." On Sunday May 201h

, Jasper Pennington will discuss "Researching Church Records" and the class discusses "There are no Dumb Questions in Genealogy #4." All lectures are at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Building, 5301 E. Huron River Drive. Use Parking Lot P. Call (734) 483-2799 for more information.

Membership Pauline Walters reports we have

419 paid members. This includes 368 regular members, 12 patrons, 14 businesses, 2 business patrons and 21 life members. We also have 71 people who contribute money without joining the society and one in-kind donation. Thank you all for renewing your membership or joining us in our mission to display and interpret the history of the county!

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Future Programs Sunday • April 22nd (note change of date due to Easter)

The U-M Observatory will host a tour for us and Director Dr. Patricia Whitesell will speak on "The History of the U-M's Detroit Observatory. H PLEASE NOTE THAT RESERVATIONS WILL BE REQUIRED SINCE ONLY 40 CAN BE ACCOMMODATED. Phone (734) 763-2230 or e-mail DetroitObservatory @umich.edu by Friday April 20th• Dr. Whitesell was recently awarded the 200 I Herbert C. Pollack Award of the Dudley ObseIVatory for her project on Franz Brunnow. Congratulations!

Wednesday • May 16th Our Annual Meeting and Potluck

Dinner will be held at 6 PM at Webster Church in Webster Township. Our speaker will be Willah Weddon of Stockbridge. A former journalist with tlle Ypsilanti Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, LanSing State Journal and Detroit Free Press, she was a member of the Capitol Press Corps in Lansing and wrote about the First Ladies of Michigan. She has published four books on the First Families of Michigan and has won many awards for her publications.

Saturday • June 2nd 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Our Annual Bus Tour will visit Cranbrook including Saarinen House and the Art Museum. The cost will be $60.00 and will cover the bus, the tour and a lunch. ReseIVations must be made

. by May 28th• Some walking will be

required. Details will be in later impressions.

How To Join Send name, address and phone

number with check payable to WCHS to: Treasurer, WCHS, POBox 3336, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-3336. Annual dues are individual, $15; couple/family $25; student or senior (60+) $10; senior couple $19; business/association $50; patron $100. For information call (734) 662-9092 or e-mail us at WCHS [email protected] .


Around The Town Ann Arbor is a bustling place with too

many things vying for our attention. But a worthwhile goal should be a visit either to Cobblestone Farm for its Celebration of Spring on Sunday, April291h (1-5) or to the Detroit Observatory on Wednesdays May 2 (3-5 PM), May 23 (11-2 PM) and June 13 (3-5) as well as Tuesday June 26 (11-2). The tour of the 1854 Observatory is a window back to the mid-19th century when this state-of-theart astronomical observatory on the Michigan frontier provided accurate time for the Great Lakes Region, determined the longitude of Ann Arbor and Detroit for the U. S. Lake SUIVey, and discovered 21 minor planets and a comet. The Observatory is closed in July and August. It is located at E. Ann and ObseIVatory. Call (734) 763-2230. The 1840s Cobblestone Farm is located at 2781 Packard Road, (734) 994-2928. There is a $2.00 charge per person or $8.00 per family. There will be animals to pet and two baby ducks on display.

Hugh Gurney, Executive Director of the Historical Society of Michigan, has announced his plans to retire. After five years of devoting himself to Society business, he'd like to step back and take time to review life options. He will continue until a successor is named. Interested applicants can send a resume and cover letter to the Search Committee, 1305 Abbott Road, Suite 105, East Lansing, MI 48823 . The deadline was March 15, but we received our notice late, so perhaps the deadline has been extended.

The Nichols Arboretum has announced its spring schedule . Restoration Workdays, typically the second Saturday of each month, will be held April 7 and May 12 from 9 AM until noon. This is open to anyone who wants to help restore natural habitats in the Arb. On Sunday May 61h at 10 AM is the Fourth Annual Poets' Walk with Richard Tillinghast and Keith Taylor leading a magical walk with words in the woods! On Saturday May 19th, at sunrise, birders Dea Armstrong and

Michael Kielb will host the Arb Birdathon, a fun fundraiser for bird habitat. For more information call (734) 998-9540, e-mail [email protected] or check their website at www.umich.eduJ -wwwarb.

House Update Karen O'Neal reports that Paul Davis

Restoration will replace the gutters and repaint the interior of the museum. All damage by the snows of 2000 will be covered by our insurance. Karen also reports that WAP. John of Grafaktari has submitted proposals for new signs that he plans to donate to us. We are also beginning to see some movement on getting lights for the outside of the Museum. Teri Jefferson is working on a leaded copper repro lantern design for our front posts and for the back as well. Work is also progressing on solving our perpetual drainage problem. More to follow next month.

Condolences Unfortunately we have another death

to report this month. Former WCHS Board Member and retired EMU Librarian Albert Prince ("A.P.") Marshall died March 9th at his home in Ypsilanti after a long battle with diabetes and cancer. Marshall was 86. He was a professor until 1980 when he retired and was active in the American Library Association. Marshall also had his own publishing company--Marian Publishing-which issued half a dozen books dealing with African-American history. They included "Unconquered Souls: The History of the AfricanAmerican in Ypsilanti," "The Real McCoy of Ypsilanti" and "Helen Walker McAndrew, Ypsilanti's Lady Frontier Doctor." We extend our condolences to his family.

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Collections Keep Growing

Judy Chrisman reports the receipt of an 1863 token from the CH Millen Company in Ann Arbor donated by G. Ray Ashton Jr. of Sarasota, Florida; three pamphlets from the Mack and Co. Dept Store of Ann Arbor donated by Art French; several items relating to Chelsea, Michigan from Susan Wineberg; and an 1874 WashtenawCounty Atlas from John Devall. Ruth Husung also donated a World War J flag from her father's casket. Thanks to all who keep us in mind before tluowing tllings in the trash! Judy has also mounted a small exhibit in our case at the Washtenaw County Administration Building on N. Main (the old post office). Check it out next time you're in tile neighborhood.

Brainstorming Session Held

After our regular meeting on Sunday March 17th

, we held a brainstorming session to chart the future of the society and the museum. Ina Hanel, a former Vice President and Program Chair of WCHS, guided us. Ina solicited our input on the strengths and weaknesses of the society. Over a two-hour period we hashed out our problems and accomplishments. We need to reactivate several committees including finance, membership, fundraising, and pUblicity. We will also update our brochure, establish a website, and perhaps have a summer issue of Impressions. We would like to ex-pand our membership, establish more contacts with the schools and coordinate more with other county historical societies. It's a tall order for sure! Many thanks to Ina Hanel for all her help in guiding us (and her patience which was often taxed!), to Patty Creal for tile delicious soup, and Jan Azary for tile sheet cake (for John Geddes 200th birthday) and cookies. .


Geddes Family Update The publication of the Geddes family

letters has had many wonderful ramifications. On March 19'h, members of the Board celebrated the 200th birthday of John Geddes with Russell Bidlack in Geddes ' own house in Ann Arbor Township on East Huron River Drive, now the home of our Education Liaison Sally Silvennoinen. John also received a cake at our program meeting on Sunday the 18th thanks to Jan Azary . . It was truly a wonderful experience for all of us who attended and could sit in John's 1837 house and wish him a happy 200th l

We also learned that Webmaster for Washtenaw GemCom, Denise Frederick of Petoskey Michigan, has access to John Geddes' diaries which she has been posting on the web. A sticker on the front of the Impressions informs our readers of this website http:// members.tripod.com/-deemamafredi gedind.html. Ms. Frederick will be visiting Ann Arbor in April to continue

WASHTENAW COUNTY HISTORICAL soclm

Post Office Box 3336 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-3336

HISTORY OF DETROIT OBSERVATORY

SPEAKER DR. PATRICIA WHITESELL

SUNDAY· 2 PM APRIL 22ND, 2001

AT THE OBSERVATORY ANN ARBOR,. MICHIGAN

her research on the Geddes family and meet Russell Bidlack

Since our March Impressions were posted on the web, we've been hearing from many relations to John Geddes. One was from Paul "Dean" Sawyer, the 8th

generation gr grandson of William Sawyer, ancestors of John's mother Jane Sawyer. He lives in Forty Fort, PA and wished to secure a signed copy of the document claiming that the common ancestor William came from Bristol England. So, our Impressions reaches out now beyond the confines of Washtenaw County!

Business Support This month's issue of Impressions

is co-sponsored by

RUSSELL BIDLACK

Slate For Elections At Annual Meeting

The following people will be nominated

for WCHS offices at the Annual Meeting

in May: President, Pauline Walters; Vice-President, Virginia Hills;

Recording Secretary, Judith Chrisman; Treasurer, Patricia Creal; Recording

Secretary, Carol A. Birch. The following board members need to

be re-elected to a three-year term: Rosemarion Blake, Patricia Thompson, Pam Newhouse and Esther Warzynski. Others who have agreed to serve who do

not need to be re-elected are Louisa

Pieper, Program and Susan Wineberg, Impressions Editor.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Ann Arbor, MI Permit No. 96

washtenaw county historical society newsletter· …

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